Mark L. Stout Consulting is an all-purpose transportation consulting firm, specializing in finance, program management, and legislative and DOT policy. Our company has served public agencies and non-profits, big and small, all across the nation. Mark is widely-recognized as an expert whose years of experience can help organizations to break through gridlock and deliver transformative projects and innovative community enhancements.

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Tuesday, January 31, 2017

In the waning days of the Obama Administration, the U. S.
Treasury published a report on big infrastructure projects we are not building in this country.The report (40 Proposed U. S. Transportation and Water Infrastructure Projects of
Major Economic Significance, available here) was a product of the
Administration’s Build America Investment Initiative and was presumably
intended to bolster the “needs” side of that effort.

The projects selected (there were strict criteria) range
from building California High Speed Rail to rebuilding the entire I-10 corridor
to completing the Second Avenue Subway in New York.Most are site-specific, although some – such as Positive
Train Control and National Traffic Signal Coordination – are nationwide in
scope.Each project is given a
two-pager of facts and figures.

This report is very effective in demonstrating the sort of
projects that other countries are building and we’re not.

Would I have selected the same projects?Some, but not all.There is too much highway widening
(more urban freeways will only exacerbate long-term problems) and too much port
improvement (why exactly are we subsidizing Asian manufacturing by spending
huge amounts of money to accommodate Panamax ships?).

A few nationwide projects I would add:

·Electrify the Interstate system (fast chargers
for electric vehicles)

·Double the fixed-guideway rapid transit network

·Fund sustainable neighborhoods (infrastructure
“islanding”)

·Advance climate change resilience in the most
vulnerable areas

·Design and operate marine highways (a great idea
that never advances beyond the concept stage)

The report authors note that the main reason most of these
projects aren’t advancing (or are advancing too slowly) is lack of
funding.In keeping with the Obama
Administration’s stance, they suggest more public-private financing and avoid
talking about the obvious need for much greater tax revenue for infrastructure.

Quibbles aside, the authors (including two friends and
occasional colleagues of mine, Ray Ellis and Dick Mudge) have done a real
service in demonstrating the scale of investment (with real project examples)
that we need to thrive in the 21st Century.

Monday, January 23, 2017

I recently commented on the disparity between the remarkable
breadth and depth of highway traffic information collected and managed by
transportation agencies and the all-too-often paucity of information made available
to the customer.On a recent visit
to DC, I experienced really good information and really bad information on the
transit side of things, on the same Metro line.

As an only-occasional Metro rider, I like to have
reassurance that I’m on the right train (this is the voice of experience
speaking) and to keep track of when my desired station is approaching.On one trip on the Orange Line, I was
in an information black hole.There were two system maps in the car (not near me).There was no line map and no notice of
the next stop.The name of the
station on the platform couldn’t be made out through the tinted windows if it
was on the far side.And the
announcements by the operator were totally unintelligible.(Don’t these folks get training?)

The next day I had a ride on one of the newest cars, and it
was a real contrast.There were
electronic signs displaying the next station, electronic line maps, and very
clear recorded announcements!

Wednesday, January 18, 2017

We spend a ton of money on intelligent transportation
systems and are rapidly expanding our ability to collect, analyze, and display
traffic information.How much of
this high-tech stuff reaches the customer?Not enough.

As one example, I recently saw a display of the cool things
that folks at the University of Maryland are doing…..

But visiting the Maryland House rest area I saw nothing but
a dumb map………….

Smart phones, GPS systems, and satellite radio are putting
lots of information into travelers’ hands, but the public sector really needs
to become more customer focused too.

Update: On a later visit to Maryland House, I did see a live camera view! So at least some data is making it to the consumer!